Gaza clashes intensify, Australians evacuating

By James Robertson

13 July 2014 - 06:59pm

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza entered a new and bloody phase on Sunday, with ground troops deployed for the first time since its operation began last week, airstrikes widened and Australians preparing for evacuation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv would arrange a one-off “assisted departure” for Australian citizens in Gaza early on Sunday. They would be taken by road to Amman in Jordan.

A group of Israeli commandos moved into northern Gaza for a raid on a Palestinian compound early on Sunday morning.

One hundred and seventeen rocket attacks struck Israel the day before, the Israeli Defence Force said, and air raid sirens rang in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Palestinian authorities said 50 people were killed in air strikes on Saturday, the bloodiest day since fighting began on Tuesday, pushing total casualties to 156. The Israeli military was dropping leaflets into Gaza’s north on Sunday warning residents to evacuate before further strikes.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is aware of 20 Australian nationals in the territory.

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“The retaliatory acts from both sides that have led to civilian deaths and injuries are deeply regrettable,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said. “I continue to be deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation.”

Australians are being warned to avoid the Gaza strip entirely and reconsider the need to travel to Israeli cities within 40 kilometres of its border, such as Beersheba. Australian officials and their families have been told not to take public transport within Israel.

Ms Bishop said she was concerned about the unpredictable security situation and the “possibility of further Israeli military operations”.

International calls for a ceasefire, the day after Israel’s Prime Minister vowed to continue military operations until “quiet was restored”, have had no obvious impact.

The raid by Israeli Naval commandos on Sunday morning targeted a Palestinian compound the military claimed had been used as a launching site for long-range rocket attacks.

Four IDF soldiers were wounded in a firefight. “The mission was accomplished,” the Israeli military said in a statement posted on its website.

Israel also fired artillery across its northern border with Lebanon after three rockets were reported to have been fired into the Israeli city of Nahariya.

The UN Security Council called for an urgent "de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire". It urged both sides to renew direct talks.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that 21 people were killed in a single airstrike on the home of Gaza’s police chief on Saturday night, the deadliest since operations began. A further 35 were injured, including the police chief, Tayseer Al-Batsh.

A situation report released on Friday by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that 70 per cent of all people killed on the Palestinian side have been civilians.

The Israeli government has accused Hamas of packing its missile launching stations with civilians to discourage retaliation.